Chapter 610: Chapter 581: Turmoil Rising Again
Jin Yonghao is now only thinking about ending everything in front of him as soon as possible. Once the transfer contract is officially signed, he’ll immediately pack up and leave, never returning to Weishan Island, a place that has left him with too many shameful memories.
Jin Yonghao told Xu Chunliang that Wu Fajun, the deputy general manager of Huanyan Health, is currently at the hospital and in charge of affairs, while he himself is just there to lend a hand; he has no say in the matter.
Xu Chunliang didn’t care what role he played, but reminded Jin Yonghao that as long as Huayuan Group hadn’t transferred Weishan Island Hospital, they were responsible for any events that occurred, including any adverse consequences, and Hu Shan Town Government had the right to hold them accountable, himself included.
Even before Xu Chunliang arrived at Weishan Island, Zhang Haitao called him, advising him not to rush out of the pier as many employees from Weishan Island Hospital had gone there to meet him.
Xu Chunliang felt puzzled, "Why are they welcoming me? Do they really see me as a high-ranking official? Do they expect me to stand up for them?" He couldn’t have imagined that his status was so high in the hearts of the medical staff at Weishan Island Hospital.
Zhang Haitao sighed sympathetically, warning Xu Chunliang to prepare himself mentally. Those people weren’t welcoming him. The employees at Weishan Island Hospital now believed that he and Equatorial Capital were in cahoots, that he had spoken on their behalf before purely as a ploy, and the real aim was to sell them out.
Xu Chunliang was truly frustrated. This was simply fabricated. While it was true he wanted to wrest control of Weishan Island Hospital from Changxing, he had no intention of selling it to Equatorial Capital. The transfer agreement between Equatorial Capital and Huayuan Group was made without consulting him. "I’m a good official who empathizes with public sentiment. It’s not right to wrongly accuse me like this," he thought.
Xu Chunliang had never been one to retreat when faced with challenges. Besides, Weishan Island was so small, he couldn’t hide forever. He decided to face the difficulties head-on and boldly made his way to the pier.
As Xu Chunliang approached, the group of medical staff immediately surrounded him, each clamoring to speak. With so many voices, it was chaotic, but despite their indignation, none dared to lay a hand on Xu Chunliang. They all knew his reputation for being able to fight, and besides, he was now the Vice Mayor—only a fool would confront him physically.
Xu Chunliang chuckled, "Why is everyone here? If there’s something to discuss, let’s take it to the hospital."
Liu Fugui said, "Vice Mayor Xu, you’re being quite unfair, aren’t you?"
Xu Chunliang replied, "And how am I being unfair? Lao Liu, explain yourself."
Liu Fugui said, "You kept claiming to stand for justice on our behalf, but it turned out like this. You incited us to oppose Huayuan Group, only to turn around and sell us out. What do you take us for? Have you ever respected the medical staff of Weishan Island Hospital at all?"
"Who told you this nonsense? Who instigated you against Huayuan? Who said I sold you out? Even if I wanted to sell, someone has to be willing to buy, don’t they?" Xu Chunliang wasn’t underestimating them; it was hard to find a job elsewhere with their skills.
Someone said, "Stop lying to us. Everyone knows you sold Weishan Island Hospital to your old flame."
Xu Chunliang stared at the speaker, a retired elderly woman. If it weren’t for her age and gender, he would have wanted to smack her. "Old flame? For one, Mo Han isn’t my lover, and two, she’s not old. How infuriating!"
Another voice said, "A winery isn’t enough for you, you have to take our hospital too?"
Xu Chunliang shot back, "I don’t know who’s spreading rumors about me, but I assure you I’ll find out who it is. And if you have evidence, speak up, but if not, don’t spread lies. Anyone who dares to spread rumors, I’ll sue them, I don’t care if they’re from Weishan Island Hospital or not. I’ll not only pursue legal action, but I’ll also make sure you lose your job."
The scene suddenly quieted down. Xu Chunliang glared at Liu Fugui and said, "You even found out when I was arriving on Weishan Island. Looks like there’s an insider. Liu Fugui, you’re leading a disruption of public order and threatening a local official."
"I didn’t... We’re just here for an explanation."
Xu Chunliang replied, "You’re allowed to ask for an explanation, but what are you doing with all this posturing? Think I’ll be scared by numbers? Think the law won’t punish the crowd? Let me tell you, if I were afraid of death, I wouldn’t be a Communist Party member. Let’s see who’s going to stop me."
In any case, none were out for his life, and he knew it.
Xu Chunliang walked forward. Despite their numbers, no one dared make a move. Liu Fugui stubbornly held his ground. Xu Chunliang stepped in front of him and said sternly, "Move!"
All the co-workers looked at Liu Fugui, expecting him to stand up to Xu Chunliang. To everyone’s surprise, he just shrugged his head and said, "Alright!" before quickly stepping aside, setting a new standard for cowardice.
Seeing their leader give in, the others didn’t want to stick their necks out either, and they all stepped back to clear a path. Xu Chunliang strode through as if they were welcoming him with a guard of honor.
Zhang Haitao didn’t dare get too close because his current identity was still tied to Weishan Island Hospital; openly siding with outsiders would get him despised.
Once Xu Chunliang left the encirclement, Zhang Haitao drove up in a Q7 and called out, "Mayor Xu, get in the car."
Xu Chunliang opened the car door and got in, but not without turning back for one last glance at the medical staff, who were still standing there looking angry, confused, or frustrated. What was the situation? They came demanding an explanation, so how could they just let him leave so easily?
Xu Chunliang said, "Why are you all standing around like that? It’s embarrassing! If you have questions, go back to the hospital and ask!"
As the car drove away from the pier, Zhang Haitao commented, "Mayor Xu, you really impressed them from the moment you stepped out. Now I understand what it means when reasoning with stubborn people doesn’t work."
Xu Chunliang gave him a look, "If you don’t know how to speak, don’t speak nonsense."
Zhang Haitao chuckled, "Yes, sir, yes, sir."
Xu Chunliang asked, "What’s going on? Who leaked the information about the transfer? How did they know when I was coming back?"
Zhang Haitao replied, "I don’t know either. Suddenly everyone in town was talking about it, saying you’d sold our hospital to Equatorial Capital. Since Equatorial Capital’s representative is Miss Mo, everyone thinks she was used by you."
Xu Chunliang asked, "When did I ever use them?"
Zhang Haitao responded, "I don’t know who spread it, but it’s being said that the incident at the construction site was your setup, and that Zhou Deming is Secretary Zhou’s son, and all of it was part of your calculated scheme to sacrifice yourself, and that Huayuan Group was outwitted by you, and everything you did was for Mo Han."
Xu Chunliang looked at Zhang Haitao.
Zhang Haitao quickly explained, "Mayor Xu, I swear, I haven’t told anyone about that day." He knew better than anyone that Zhou Deming’s appearance at the construction site that day was orchestrated by Xu Chunliang, although the part about Zhou Deming getting beaten wasn’t planned. No one expected the Huayuan security guards to be so fierce.
Xu Chunliang said, "Haitao, someone is trying to stir up trouble with this incident."
Zhang Haitao asked, "Is it true that Huayuan Group sold the hospital?"
Xu Chunliang nodded, "That has just been confirmed. Secretary Qin specifically instructed that before the formal contract is signed, it should be kept confidential to avoid public backlash. Yet somehow, everyone knows now." He suspected an internal leak, but with so many departments involved, it was hard to pinpoint where the breach occurred.
Whoever leaked the information had bad intentions, stirring panic and tarnishing his reputation. The controversy of him using Mo Han for power and lust had barely subsided before this new wave arose.
The crucial point was that Xu Chunliang wasn’t a first-time offender; the Weishan Island Winery incident had happened before. Even though he was proven not to be involved, his reputation had already been established.
Xu Chunliang pondered for a moment. The intentions behind this were clear: someone was trying to muddy the waters and sabotage the transfer while tarnishing his reputation.
Equatorial Capital had initiated the transfer; logically, they wouldn’t do something so senseless. Huayuan Group was eager to rid themselves of Weishan Island Hospital, which had become a burden. Selling it not only resolved this but also brought in a two billion transfer fee, a win-win situation—unlikely that Huayuan’s leadership would sabotage it.
Regardless of who was behind this, the immediate task was to extinguish the fire and cool down the situation. If the impact expanded, it wouldn’t be good for him, especially if Secretary Zhou found out he used his son to set up Changxing. Anybody would be upset.
Xu Chunliang instructed Zhang Haitao to return to the hospital first, then called Jin Yonghao, asking him to arrange a meeting with the hospital’s key figures in the conference room. Knowing it wouldn’t be convincing enough to go alone, Xu Chunliang also contacted Mo Han.
Despite recent tensions between them, the interests of Equatorial Capital were involved with Weishan Island Hospital. Xu Chunliang planned to have her make a statement to the hospital staff, though he considered the possibility of her non-cooperation.
Mo Han happened to be on Weishan Island at the time and was aware of the recent events. She didn’t hesitate and immediately agreed to attend the meeting.
